The 10 Best Sightseeing Tours in Michigan!

From beer tours, to historic sites, to taking in the natural beauty of an area, sightseeing tours offer a great opportunity to experience a community. Michigan has an abundance of sightseeing tours—and in great variety. Here are our 10 favorites.

Mackinac Island is widely known for its tourist-friendly nature, with plenty of exciting sights on an island that doesn't allow cars except in a handful of cases. Thus, Mackinac Island Carriage Tours—which relies on horse-driven carriage—makes a great way to enjoy a tour both for how it's presented and what is shown. Check out sights like the Surrey Hills Museum and the Wings of Mackinac Butterfly Conservatory, all while taken around in horse-drawn carriage.

Detroit is easily one of Michigan's major sights, containing a vast array of unusual architectural and historical sights to see. So why not get a good look at the largest number of them in the shortest amount of time with a helicopter tour like that found at Max Flight Helicopter Services? With Max Flight Helicopter Services, you can see such sights as Comerica Park, the Detroit Skyline, and even some of the various rock stars' homes scattered throughout the city. There are even custom flight plans available that will open up large portions of Southeast Lower Michigan.

Did you know that Michigan has only one farm distillery in the whole state? That' s Iron Fish Distillery in Thompsonville, and for anyone who's ever wanted to not only see booze made but also try some, tours run through the facility regularly. At the end of every sightseeing tour through the distiller, there's a tasting waiting of Woodland Gin, White Whiskey, Michigan Wheat Vodka, and even a local rum.

Saugatuck is widely known as one of Michigan's great artistic centers, and so, a sightseeing tour of Saugatuck can be quite the fun trip. Going by boat is perhaps even more exciting, and a trip on the Star of Saugatuck II with Saugatuck Boat Cruises might be just what you need. With daytime and sunset cruises available on the Kalamazoo River and even a little bit of Lake Michigan, you'll have variety aplenty. Combining all the best features of a boat right, sightseeing tour and nature walk, you'll see plenty, and from all the comfort a boat can offer.

Michigan's Upper Peninsula is easily best-known for its staggering range of wilderness, so it's not surprising that a group like Lonely Planet would put together a guided sightseeing tour of this vast range of trees, hills, waterfalls and similar matter. With a whole slate of choices—try Pictured Rocks or step up to the challenge of some of Michigan's least-seen wilderness—you'll have the kind of versatility that lets you come back time and again, all while being shown around by a professional guide!

Head to Port Huron for a taste of sightseeing in two countries at once, thanks to Port Huron's proximity to Canada. With daily public cruises, private charters, and even a dinner cruise featuring a meal at the River Crab, the end result is a nice variety that gives you the chance to tailor your experience to what you'd like to see. Check out sturgeon, see fireworks, the Mackinaw Sailboat Race or a variety of other experiences all from the deck of the Huron Lady II!

Sure, you can see just about anything on a sightseeing tour, but how about an entire village? That's what you'll get at Ludington's Historic White Pine Village. There are actually specific tours here available just for schools, in addition to the general sightseeing tour for those who aren't currently in classes. Whether your preference is a group tour or a tour with a light lunch, White Pine Village's tour will allow you a look at mid-1800s Michigan, from the one-room schoolhouse to the Siddon Print Shop and beyond.

Ann Arbor is one of Michigan's greatest cities, and by extension, one of its great sightseeing tours. Thus, turning to a tour provider can be a great way to get a good, general look at what there is to see in Ann Arbor. Around Town Tours offers a great way to introduce people to Ann Arbor—there's also a segment operation running in Ypsilanti—in two hour blocks for a comparatively light fee. Longer tours, bus group rates, and more are all available for the asking.

A sightseeing tour is a great thing, but Grand Rapids takes it up a notch with its Grand Rapids Beer Tours. Grand Rapids is known as Beer City USA for a reason—there are plenty of places here that make it—and with Grand Rapids Beer Tours, you'll be able to see these places and taste their produce without having to worry about getting a ride home. Featuring free pickup from a hotel, public and private tours, and lots of tasting opportunities, the Grand Rapids Beer Tours system will provide plenty of value.

Detroit isn't the only one offering helicopter tours. Traverse City also has a helicopter tour option in TC Helicopters. TC Helicopters offers several different tour packages from the Bay View to the Suttons Bay to the Sunset Tour that covers a wide variety of the region's sights. Whether you want to see what the area has to offer, or just see what the sunset over the bay looks like from that height, TC Helicopters will have you covered.